Proficio Capital Partners LLC Takes $1.40 Million Position in Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities Co. (NYSE:CPK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 11,528 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,399,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned 0.05% of Chesapeake Utilities as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CPK. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,222,149 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $152,513,000 after purchasing an additional 11,068 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 516,586 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $64,157,000 after acquiring an additional 8,358 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Chesapeake Utilities by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 495,178 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $60,090,000 after acquiring an additional 12,889 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 287,993 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,760,000 after acquiring an additional 14,430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 3.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 259,064 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,168,000 after purchasing an additional 7,666 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.11% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on CPK shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chesapeake Utilities from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Guggenheim upped their target price on Chesapeake Utilities from $118.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CPK traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $128.70. The company had a trading volume of 126,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 93,443. Chesapeake Utilities Co. has a one year low of $98.32 and a one year high of $134.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company's 50-day moving average price is $123.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.03. The firm has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.10 and a beta of 0.60.

Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.04). Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 9.08%. The firm had revenue of $215.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $237.84 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Utilities Co. will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chesapeake Utilities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Chesapeake Utilities's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.58%.

Chesapeake Utilities Company Profile

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation operates as an energy delivery company. The company operates through two segments, Regulated Energy and Unregulated Energy. The Regulated Energy segment natural gas distribution operations in central and southern Delaware, Maryland's eastern shore, and Florida; regulated natural gas transmission in the Delmarva Peninsula, Ohio, and Florida; and regulated electric distribution in northeast and northwest Florida.